Thanksgiving Dinner Party - Part 1

Whenever my best friend comes into town, the first question is always "when are you making dinner?" followed by the gift of complete creative freedom.  This time around, I had a plan for a small Sunday dinner party.  I had a menu figured out.  It was going to be perfect - the theme, the wine, the guest list. Until another friend informed me on Saturday afternoon that she had a 14lb, thawed out turkey and asked if I wanted it for Sunday.  Slight complication.  I, naturally, wanted the turkey, but did not want to do a complete makeover of the ingredients I already had.  Considering that the holiday was a week and a half away, having a completely traditional thanksgiving dinner was out of the question.  As was waking up early in the morning to make a half a dozen side dishes.  With a bit of play on the ingredients, we had a slightly modern-style thanksgiving.  Up-dos on all of the sides and definitely something a bit different for dessert. 

Ginger Apricot Glazed Turkey with Sweet onion Jus

Onions
1 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
chicken stock
1 stick of butter, softened
Salt / pepper / thyme / rosemary / sage

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Slice onions, place on the bottom of the pan, season with salt, pepper, and a few sprigs of thyme.

Set the rack for the turkey on top.  Wash and dry the turkey.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Make compound butter - mix butter with about a teaspoon of each salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and sage.  Rub the turkey with the compound butter. 

Place on the rack over the onions.  Add about 2 cups of chicken stock to the pan to prevent the onions from burning.  Roast for 25 minutes, then turn down the heat to 375 degrees. 

Mix preserves, ginger, garlic, ws sauce, few pinches of salt, pepper, and thyme.  Add just under 2 cups of stock to make a basting liquid, and baste every half hour after the initial 25 minutes. 

Take the turkey out when the internal temperature is around 158-160 degrees, tent for about 20 minutes - residual heat will raise the internal temperature to 165 degrees.  The total bake time on the 14lb turkey was approximately 3 hours. 

Pour off the onions and the juice into a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, let reduce slightly and re-season with salt and pepper as needed. 

Carve the turkey adding the onion jus over and serving extra on the side.